My Journey in Excel Esports

For any new students considering joining the Excel competition, my advice is simple: just begin.

In 2022, the University of Pretoria sent one of its many mass announcements, one of which was about a new obscure Excel competition. While I’ve always enjoyed problem-solving and creative solutions to weird problems, I’ve never really seen myself as an Excel-person. But I signed up regardless because it gave me a shot at being invited to the US to potentially win an international competition. I thought, “Why not? I have nothing to lose.”

Two years later I’ve been invited to the finals in Tucson twice, significantly altered my career trajectory, and ranked 1st in Africa and 8th globally in the MECC!

Initial Impressions and Learning

It did seem daunting at the beginning, but I soon realized that it’s not the person who knows every formula that wins, but the one who can think algorithmically and solve problems efficiently. I’ve seen students perform remarkably well with only a handful of formulas. With a few key formulas like IF, XLOOKUP, INDEX, and COUNTIF, you can tackle nearly any problem the competition throws at you.

Engaging with the Community

Once you attempted a case, the discussion with other competitors on their approach is where you sharpen your skill. The community of students, teachers and professionals around the Excel eSports is incredible, because everyone is not only keen to learn but also enthusiastic about sharing their knowledge. It has never felt like a ruthless competition, and I look forward to it every year!

Career Impact and Opportunities

My involvement in Excel eSports has also radically shifted my career path. In 2021, I was simply aiming to become a Chartered Accountant (CA(SA)), but now I’m also the “Excel guy”. I was shocked to see the number of great opportunities that have come my way from various companies as a direct result of this competition. Anyone can say that they are proficient with Excel on their resume, but the MECC proves it.

Progress and Challenges

In 2022, that mass announcement came from Renier Wessels (who now spearheads the South African chapter of the FMWC). He reached out to my university about the MECC and offered to present a tutorial on Excel eSports to the UP students before the qualification round. I enjoyed the sample questions and looked forward to the first round, but I never thought that I could really compete on an international level with only a few months of preparation against other students who were much more experienced.

Imagine my surprise after the first qualification round, when I found myself ranking 15th globally! I was very fortunate to rank so high in that round, but I soon discovered that the nature of the competition is incredibly volatile, and performing very well or very poorly in a round is not a reflection of your skill. You need to be able to perform consistently over many rounds, which keeps the competition interesting and fun.

Yearly Refelctions and Lessons Learned

The next year (2023), I was thrilled to qualify in the top 8 and participate in the live-streamed finals in Tucson. However, the pressure got to me, and I misread one of the questions. This simple mistake had a cascading effect, leading to several incorrect answers. It was a disappointing outcome, but it taught me a valuable lesson: in these competitions, you are faster when you slow down!

While my goal this year is naturally to win, I’ve come to realize that the MECC finals are unpredictable. If you were to run the same final five times, you’d likely end up with five different winners. The margin for error is razor-thin, and sometimes a tiny mistake like misreading a prompt or swapping two inputs can make all the difference. And while winning is great, the true value of these competitions lies in participation and networking. Over the past two years, I’ve not only made a lot of new friends from all over the world, but I’ve also learned much more from competing in the MECC than any Excel course could possibly teach, simply because of the exposure to such different ways of thinking.

Broader Competitions and Insights

Beyond the MECC, I’ve also competed in the South African FMWC in 2023, which is a combined competition for students and seasoned professionals. Last year, I finished in 2nd place, which I consider an extraordinary achievement since I outperformed many industry experts who use Excel daily. This success just shows that your ranking in these competitions is not something you find in a book or course somewhere, but the result of a general curiosity and drive to think outside the box.

Problem-Solving and Skill Development

Excel competitions are, at their core, simply problem-solving marathons. Each question can be tackled in countless ways, with certain patterns eventually emerging as more optimal solutions. For example, I have my preferred method for common scenarios like dice games, using MODs for board games, and using data tables for more complex problems, but it’s in unexpected cases where I’ve found that watching others play is one of the most effective ways to learn. Whether it’s fellow students or the professionals from FMWC live streams, other competitors’ unique methods often reshape my approach to problem-solving.

As Excel evolves and new formulas are introduced, I try to stay updated in the pursuit of diversifying my toolbelt. A recent update that I am quite excited about is REGEX support in XLOOKUP, which could result in faster approaches to certain challenges that previously required more complex functions (like nesting a FIND in a MAP).

Career Benefits and Advice

Being up to date on the new tools being released is also an invaluable skill in any career. That’s what I tell other students: even if you do not win the competition, by participating and earning the various LinkedIn badges from the MECC, you demonstrate to recruiters that you’ve self-selected into a group of students who are not only capable but willing to tackle difficult problems in Excel and commit to continuous professional development. It’s a skill that transcends industries and job roles. You don’t need to win the competition to enrich your career; simply participating can open doors you never imagined.

Looking Ahead

As I prepare for this year’s finals, I’m excited to see where this journey will take me next. The competition and community of participants who are willing to share and learn is growing and changing every year, and I’m proud to be part of this community which is redefining what it means to be an Excel expert.